Sprinkler head shut off tool



United States Patent Filed Jan. 18, 1963, Ser. No. 252,491 3 Claims. (Cl. 169-4) This invention relates to a sprinkler head shut off tool. Sprinkler heads of the type used for fire protection in buildings often become opened accidentally or through the medium of a small tire and the damage caused by the water discharging from the open sprinkler head may result in .considerable loss before the water mains can be shut oif.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a simple, neat and light-weight tool which can be instantly applied to an open sprinkler head to rapidly, completely and safely shut oil the discharging water.

Tools have been designed for this purpose, but due to the wide variety of types of sprinkler heads, it has been heretofore necessary to have a special tool for each type of head. It is, therefore, another object of this invention to provide in a single tool for closing any of the conventional standard sprinkler heads regardless of whether they open downwardly or upwardly and regardless of whether they are of the fixed yoke or cain suspension varieties.

ther objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efliciency, These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a top view of the improved sprinkler head shut off tool;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation-a1 view thereof illustrating the tool applied to a conventional sprinkler head of the downwardly opening type;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary edge view of the upper portion of the tool looking in the direction of the arrow 3, FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through the tool taken on the line 4-4, FIG. 1; and

FIG. -5 is a detail side view, partially broken away, of a mounting base to be used for supporting the improved sprinkler head shut olf tool on fire vehicles or in fire cabinets.

For the purpose of illustrating the use of the tool, a conventional sprinkler head of the Grinnell type has been illustrated with its discharge nozzle at 10, spreader supporting yoke at 11 and stream spreader at 12. Sprinkler heads of this type are installed either with the nozzle 10 directed downwardly toward the spreader 12 or with the nozzle 10 directed upwardly against the spreader 12. It is, of course, understood that the nozzle 10 is usually closed by a thermostatically releasable device mounted in the yoke 11. When the thermostatic device drops from place due to excess heat or accidental contact, the water discharges from the nozzle 10 against the spreader 12 and spreads over a relatively large area. This tool is designed to close the nozzle 10.

The tool employs an upper T-head 13 and a lower T-head "14 which can be drawn together or pushed apart by rotation of a threaded jackshaft 15. The T-head 13 is provided with a prying extremity 16 and a plug extremity 17, A hemispherical rubber plug 18 is mounted on the top of the plug extremity through the medium of an attachment screw 23. The T-head 14 is also provided with a prying extremity 19 positioned below the plug extremity 17 of the head 13 and with a plug extremity 20 positioned below the prying extremity 16. A hemispheri- "ice cal rubber plug 21 similar to the plug 18, is mounted below the plug extremity 20 of the head 14 through the medium of a suitable attachment screw 22.

The lower T-head 14 is provided with a downwardlyextending cylindrical boss 24 which is fixedly mounted in the upper extremity of a tubular handle 25. The lower extremity of the handle 25 is closed by a bearing element 31 in which the shaft 15 is mounted for both rotation and longitudinal movement. The shaft :15 has a threaded upper portion 26 which is threaded upwardly through threads in the boss 24. The upper extremity of the threaded portion 26 is reduced in diameter and this reduced diameter extremity is rotatably mounted in the upper T-head 13 so that the latter will rest against a shoulded 33 on the threaded portion 26. The upper T-head 13 is maintained against its shoulder by a retaining screw 27, the head of which bears against a circular bearing washer 28 resting on the upper T-head 13.

The two T-heads are maintained in longitudinal alignment with each other by means of two guide pins 29 which are fixedly mounted at their upper extremities in the upper T-head '13 and extend downwardly through vertical guide holes '30 in the boss 24. The boss 24 and the bearing element 31 are forced into the extremities of the handle 25 to a tight press tit and the handle can be additionally shrunk thereon to fixedly maintain these elements in place. For still further assurance, a retaining pin 32 can be driven through the handle '25 into the element 31. A knurled hand wheel 34 having an attachment hub 35 is fixedly mounted on the lower extremity of the shaft .15 through the medium of a suitable set screw 36 inserted through the hub.

The hand wheel preferably has an inverted cup shape and is provided with internal threads 37 for threading it onto a mounting base 38, as shown in FIG. 5, provided with external threads 39. The mounting base is also provided with mounting holes 40 for receiving screws for removably mounting the tool in any convenient position.

It is believed the operation of the device will be apparent from the above. Briefly, on a downwardly opening sprinkler head of the type shown in FIGS. -2 and 3, the hand wheel 34 is rotated to bring the two T-heads relatively close together, The extremities 1'7 and 19 are then inserted in the yoke 11 of the sprinkler head and the hand wheel 34 is rotated in a clockwise direction to force the lower prying extremity 19 downwardly against the yoke 11 and to force the plug 18 upwardly against and into the orifice of the nozzle 10 to shut 01f the stream of water discharging from the nozzle. Should the sprinkler head be installed so as to extend upwardly, the extremities '16 and 20 are inserted into the yoke 11 so as to torce the other plug 21 downwardly against the nozzle.

While a specific form of the invention has been described and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

'1. A device for closing oil? the nozzle of a sprinkler head comprising: a tubular handle member; .a shaft extending axially through said handle member and projecting upwardly therefrom and downwardly therebelow; a lower head member fixedly mounted on the upper extremity of said handle member through which said shaft is threaded; and upper head member rotatably mounted on the upper extremity of said shaft; a prying arm projecting horizontally from each of said heads; a closing arm projecting horizontally from each of said heads opposite to and in alignment with the prying arm on that head; a nozzle closing plug on each closing arm, the plug on the closing arm of the upper head facing upwardly and the plug on the closing arm of the lower head facing $9 downwardly; means for rotating said shaft for forcing said heads toward and away from each other; and means for maintaining the prying and closing arms of the second head directly over. and in vertical alignment with the closing and prying arms, respectively, of the second head.

2. A device for closing off the nozzle of a sprinkler head as described in claim 1 in which the means for rotat- Ling said shaft comprises a hand grip fixedly mounted on the lower projecting extremity of said shaft for manually rotating the latter.

3. A device for closing off the nozzle of a sprinkler head as described in claim -2 in which the hand grip has an inverted cup-shape provided with internal threads whereby it may be detachably mounted on an externallythreaded mounting base.

4 7 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENT 795 ,319 7/05 Vanderman. 1,839,029 12/3 1 'Honan et a1. 2,234,290 3/ 41 Tessier 138--89 XR 2,5 38,485 1 /5 1 Tessier 1-3 8-89 XR 2,743,782 5/56 Occhipinti 1 69-1 FOREIGN PATENTS 571,373 8/45 Great Britain.

LEWIS J. LENNY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR CLOSING OFF THE NOZZLE OF A SPRINKLER HEAD COMPRISING: A TUBULAR HANDLE MEMBER; A SHAFT EXTENDING AXIALLY THROUGH SAID HANDLE MEMBER AND PROJECTING UPWARDLY THEREFROM AND DOWNWARDLY THEREBELOW; A LOWER HEAD MEMBER FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON THE UPPER EXTREMITY OF SAID HANDLE MEMBER THROUGH WHICH SAID SHAFT IS THREADED; AND UPPER HEAD MEMBER ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON THE UPPER EXTREMITY OF SAID SHAFT; A PRYING ARM PROJECTING HORIZONTALLY FROM EACH OF SAID HEADS; A CLOSING ARM PROJECTING HORIZONTALLY FROM EACH OF SAID HEADS OPPOSITE TO AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE PRYING ARM ON THAT HEAD; A NOZZLE CLOSING ARMS OF THE UPPER HEAD FACING UPWARDLY AND ON THE CLOSING ARM OF THE UPPER HEAD FACING UPWARDLY AND THE PLUG ON THE CLOSING ARM OF THE LOWER HEAD FACING DOWNWARDLY; MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SHAFT FOR FORCING SAID HEADS TOWARD AND AWAY FROM EACH OTHER; AND MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE PRYING AND CLOSING ARMS OF THE SECOND HEAD DIRECTLY OVER AND IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE CLOSING AND PRYING ARMS, RESPECTIVELY, OF THE SECOND HEAD. 